Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-05-28
TRAVELS In JAPAN.
A VISIT TO THE INTERESTING
CITIES OF SHIBA AND UEN1.
Some of the Scenes in These An
Gent Municipalities-Cu
of the PeopIe-Temples.
[corgespondence RrooRp.rxIoN. l

In the beautiful garden-embowered
temples of Shiba are the ashes of seven of
the Shoguns of the Tokugawa family :
FIVE more rest in the Ueno, and the Others,
with the great founder of The line,
Iyeyasu, are buried at Mike. Shiba is
not far from the railway station at Shin
bashi, Toxic, being a pleasant walk, or
one can 90 in the tram if he has acquired
the dislike for klUUna riding, as | have.
Sunshine after rain would make the worst
misanthrope feel friendly, and though
had been annoyed all the early morning
by two bowling little wretches who live
next to me, on one side of my room, as a
sort of balance for the other neighbor who
grinds rice and millet from. one hour one
day to the same hour the next, | smiled
again when / stepped out into the bright
ness. A long procession Of school-children
was marching along with white banners
on each of which was painted red cherry
blossom and bar of blue. The girls wore
purple and yellow kimonos, and pink ca
mellias in their hair, and the boys were
topped off with blue and white caps. 1t
was pretty picture, indeed, as they
passed under a huge red tori, and
then entered the dim, green forest
Of Shiba There is a sublimitv about
the beauty of this place; the very name is
musical and grand, and no aspect of nature
bellies it. The sunlight checkers the
black earth with gold and shadow, the
banks are new in greenness and the birds
are not afraid. There ARE shady paths
like those aiInless ones we find in the for
ests at home; there are broad, well-trod-
den roads in the bright sunlight, where
groups of palms, camphor trees with gilt
tering leaves, and scattered fruit trees
cloudy in their white and rose-colored
foliage, and the red-green, budding maple
glow with warmth and life. As | walked
/ saw above the tops of the trees cross,
and upon its highest point rested raven !;
following this beacon | came upon
a CHARMING LITTLE SPOT
On the hillside In the midst of we'll
cared-for garden rose the neatest little
Gothic church | have ever seen, small
enough to almost seem a toy, but upon its
sides was clinging ivy, and the buttresses
and pointed windows were as graceful and
truthful to their uses as those of West
minister. The people who evolved the
Gothic architecture are indeed the salt of
the earth. | tire very quickly of any
building but Gothic; with its strength.
honesty and beauty it charms me always.
and the home feeling it gives forth is not
to be found in any other. This mite of
red and gray, with its ivy-decked sides has
given me more real pleasure than have
yet found on this side of the water. Early
in the eleventh century this temple of
Shiba was founded, and passing through
the usual vicissitudes of these buildings
was rebuilt after the fire of 1876. The
several shrines of the Shoguns are of the
highest order of native architecture. and
the interior decorations are not surpassed
by any geomeuical designs in black and
color upon gold ground, rich bronze and
crystal, and metal mirrors dazzle the eve
on every side, but coming finally to the
grave and its monument you find but a
simple carved stone.
THE THREE AsARUM LEAVES
OF the Tollugawa crest adorn every avail
able point The outside of many of these
temples was covered with fine bronze and
even gold, but of late all such valuable
metal rs is left has to be protected bv
wooden wall, which hides its beauty, for
the thieves, having lost reverence for the
sanctltY of the place, were fast carving
away all there was Of value The tombs
Of the wives Of the Shoguns are not less
splendid, and one of the aunt of the Mi
kado who is now on the throne is quite
ablaze with its display of wealth. | was
taken by the kHruma man to one corner of
4 courtyard, from which fine view of one
OF these temples is had, and pointed to a
spot where he told me the artist painted
the picture; Of course / searched in my
poorly stocked Japan memory for the
name of some artistwho, while seated here
at his work, had seen the Shoguns daugh-
ter pass, and fallen in love with her, and
finally committed hard-kiri as the only
escape from his hopeless passion but no
name would come to me so | asked how
many hundred years ago he sat there, and
was told, with a look OF wonder on the face
Of the good kT1m1d man, that it was last
year only, and then | remembered the pic
ture which ! had seen myself before the
paint was dry, and | recalled
\ VERY FUNNY STORY
About the same artist while working at
Toxic. The guides Of Mike have their
stories pat the same rs guides all over the
round world, and anything which throws
them out of their usual rut quite discon-
certs them. The artist of whom | have
spoken was quietly ensconced in retired
corner, thinking himself quite unobserved,
when one of the guides with his usual
flock of gaping sight-seers, entered the
court Here is the lantern from the Co
rean-," but the flock had caught sight
Of a greater curiosity than any bronze Ian
tern, and with one accord turned away
from the guide and went to gaze at the
foreigner. The flock questioned the guide
about this new object of interest but he
was cornered and could give no informa-
ton, so the flock looked on for some time
in wonder and in ignorance, and at last
went on to view the lesser sights of Iyea-
su's tomb. Next day the guide of course
came with more visitors, but instead of
leading them away from the scene of his
discontinue of the preceding day, he
pointed out first the Corean lantern, and
then turned and said: "This is
a foreigner who is painting
a picture They gazed at the sight as one
OF the shows of the place and passed on
Each day the same scene was repeated
only the guide learned little more to add
to his story, until in a week he would
point out the artist and say; This is a
foreigner; he is % years old and paints
pictures more cleverly than a japanese
can. He paints thirty days on this picture
and receives one thousand yen for it. He
lives at Suzuki's Hotel, and eats princi-
pally chicken and fish He is very dill
gent, and works from till l. He does not
drink sake. We viii now pass to the can
delahrum of the King of Loo Choo."
ABOUT A MILE FROM sHIBA,
And over the Akabane bridge, past busy
Government foundry, one comes to the
Sengakuji temple, where rest the far
famed forty-seven Ronin, and, at the risk
of telling what may have grown to be a
well-known story to you all, | Will give
the history which has made them famous.
A rolsia was man who from some reason
was without a lord or master in the DAYS
of feudaliSm, and wandered about in search
of someone to serve under. The events
took place during the first four years of
the last century. Two mobiles had "a quar-
rel about some matters of etiquette while
they were attending the court of the Sho-